1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to computer and data processing systems, and more particularly relates to user interaction with a computer, data processing system or electronic device, and specifically relates to improved user input of data or other information into a computer, data processing system, or electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
User interaction with a computer, data processing system, or other type of electronic device can be tedious and time consuming. Keyboards having the same layout as previously used on typewriters are still used with today's computers. Mice or other pointing devices are also used to interact with a computer, but such pointing devices are typically limited to just that—to point to something or select something on the computer screen or an electronic device's display.
Inputting of information into a form with predefined input fields is one way to reduce the amount of information, and associated time, required to capture user supplied information. In today's environment, a user moves between different fields in the form in a sequential fashion, by hitting a TAB key to advance to the next field, or by hitting the SHIFT and TAB keys concurrently to go back to the immediately preceding field in the form. Specifically, when a user presses the TAB key, the cursor moves between fields, from left-to-right and top-to-bottom in the window or form. When the cursor is on the bottom-rightmost field in the window or form, and a user presses the Tab key, the cursor is moved to the top-leftmost field in the window or form. When a user presses the BACKTAB key (Shift+Tab), the cursor moves between fields, from right-to-left, and bottom-to-top in the window or form. When the cursor is on the top-leftmost field in the window or form, and a user presses the BACKTAB key, the cursor is moved to the bottom-rightmost field in the window or form.
Alternatively, to avoid sequential access to the fields, a mouse can be used to move the cursor to the desired field. In this instance, the user must position the cursor over the desired field using the mouse, and then click on the left mouse button to specify that field as being active for receiving data input. However, use of a mouse for moving between input fields is inherently slow, since the user must move a hand off the keyboard, operate the mouse to move the cursor, and then return their hand back to the keyboard.
What is needed is a way to quickly move to different fields in a form in a non-sequential manner.